View from the Cab: Where did I put that?
By: Kent Casson
How many times a day do you hear the question, “where did I put that?”
If you live on a farm, chances are you hear this quite often on any given day. It seems one of us almost always asks where the other guy put the wrench or screwdriver when we are working on something out in the field. I fear one of these tools will sometime disappear below the corn stalks and I’m sure it won’t be the first or last time this happens.
When repairs are occurring, it is best to stay out of the farmer’s way – unless of course your job is to hold the nuts and bolts. The holder of these items is often the one that gets blamed. Maybe you aren’t holding your hands out enough or maybe you need to get closer. Nothing is good enough for farm repairs. You must be ready at all times for anything to happen. Those magnetic tool trays were an awesome invention.
“Where did I put that?” to me means I better check my truck toolbox. This is like my personal living space during the fall season. I have a pile of old laundry which includes socks and shirts along with garbage bags, extra rain gauges, deodorant and plenty of tools. This toolbox could use an air freshener, by the way.
Don’t even get me started on the cab of my truck. I need to clean it out as I am embarrassed for anyone to even drive it or ride in it. I think there is enough gravel by the floor mat to fill in potholes on the lane. The kids will have to help me clean it up again after harvest like last year when we took advantage of the unseasonably warm November weather to scrub everything down.
Speaking of weather, hopefully the recent wet weather pattern straightens out and we can cut some more soybeans in the near future. Luckily, we finished corn the other day and now we wait on Mother Nature to cooperate. One good thing is the warmer weather forecasted throughout the month but occasional rainfall could continue to pose challenges.
It sounds like many local farmers are in the same boat we are as they have finished or almost finished corn while waiting to get into the beans. Many soybean fields could be cleared if we get a good week of weather. Plenty of corn was taken out last week even in the slightly rainy conditions.
Everyone be safe as we finish out this 2021 harvest season. Before you know it, we’ll be out there doing the post-season work like chisel plowing and strip tilling. The local ag retailers will also be busy spreading dry fertilizer on fields.
